myPay preparing for Spring 2013 release

INDIANAPOLIS (April 24,, 2013)  –  The Spring 2013 myPay release will affect all users and be phased in over the next 5 months, beginning May 11, 2013. It requires users to change their passwords every 60 days using stronger 15 to 30 character passwords. The change strengthens security and complies with current Defense Department guidelines.

myPay is the online pay management system for payroll customers of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. The system is anticipated to be unavailable for several hours on May 11. DFAS recommends myPay users plan to access the system on May 10 or after May 11 to avoid any inconvenience while the new release is put online.

"While each myPay release brings new and better ways to manage the pay of our military, federal civilian employee and military retiree customers,” said Dave McDermott, DFAS deputy director for Operations, “the latest release will affect all 4.5 million established myPay account holders. New and more stringent password requirements may seem bothersome to some of our users, but in a world of identity theft and online criminal threats, it is the password requirements that safeguards your money, your identity and your well being."

Beginning in May, groups of users will be required to establish new passwords when they attempt to access their accounts. DFAS expects it will take four months before all users have updated their passwords. Once a password has been created, each myPay user will have to update their password every 60 days.

DFAS plans to send email alerts 10 days before expiration of a user’s password.

Customers logging into myPay using DoD computer access cards (CAC) or a similarly encrypted federal ID card will not be required to enter a password to log in to myPay.

“The FBI, the Commerce Department and other federal and state agencies all recommend strong passwords along with ways to protect personal information and computer networks as the best defense,” McDermott said.

More information on the myPay Spring 2013 release and the new password requirements is available at the DFAS website.